Question of the Day

Whose side of the story do you believe?

Mongolian voters select ex-Communists

ULAN BATOR, Mongolia Results trickled in today from Mongolia's parliamentary elections a day earlier, with the nation's resurgent ex-Communists expecting to make strong gains.Yesterday, Mongolians walked, rode horses and drove jeeps to the polls to choose between the scandal-plagued reformist government and the country's former leftist rulers.

Uganda, Rwanda meet over Congo fights

KAMPALA, Uganda The presidents of Rwanda and Uganda promised yesterday to improve relations and avoid conflicts like the fighting in Kisangani, Congo, last month.In a joint communique after two days of talks, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, former guerrilla comrades, said they "reaffirmed their commitment to a demilitarization of the city of Kisangani."

Pakistan arrests anti-tax merchants

MULTAN, Pakistan Police yesterday arrested 35 traders to prevent a rally here against the military-led government's tough campaign to broaden the tax net, officials and business leaders said.Traders continuing their protest for a third successive day observed a partial strike and interrupted traffic by burning tires on roads, witnesses said.

Ugandans reject multiparty democracy

KAMPALA, Uganda Uganda's electoral commission said yesterday that President Yoweri Museveni's "no-party" system of government took 90.7 percent of the vote in last week's referendum to decide whether to restore multiparty democracy.Only 9.3 percent of those who cast their ballots were in favor of a return to multiparty politics, according to returns from all but seven of the 16,505 electoral districts around the country.

Philippine general dies in air force crash

PUERTO PRINCESA, Philippines A Philippine air force plane carrying 15 persons crashed into the sea off the western province of Palawan yesterday, killing a top general and as many as 13 others.One foreigner, identified as Bruce Walker and believed to be an American, was rescued by fishermen near the crash site and brought to a hospital. His condition was not immediately known.Authorities recovered the body of Maj. Gen. Santiago Madrid, who headed the military's Western Command, based in Palawan. The others aboard, including Palawan Gov. Salvador Socrates, were missing and believed dead, military officials said.

Fijian army proposes ethnic Indian role

SUVA, Fiji Fiji's army rulers said yesterday that a temporary government they plan to appoint will include ethnic Indians a move that defies rebels who took over parliament in May, took the prime minister hostage and demanded that ethnic Indians be stripped of political power."There will be ethnic Indo-Fijians in the interim government lineup, although percentages I cannot say at this point in time," Lt. Col. Filipo Tarakinikini said yesterday.

Zeppelin's kin christens new airship

FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, Germany One hundred years after the maiden flight of the first zeppelin, a granddaughter of the inventor christened a new airship yesterday.This time though, the dirigible was filled with nonflammable helium, instead of the dangerous hydrogen that doomed the first generation designed by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin.The 1937 Hindenburg disaster basically ended the use of airships for carrying passengers.

Pakistan ruler offers talks with India

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan Military ruler Gen. Pervez Musharraf has urged Indian leaders to give up their reservations about talking to him and hold unconditional talks to settle their disputes.Gen. Musharraf told a gathering of South Asian journalists yesterday the two archrivals would get nowhere if they set conditions and counterconditions for a resumption of stalled peace talks.